The Limits of Vengeance
Mangshin (忘神)
Why was this guy, Dre, here?
His extraordinary mind instantly grasped the situation, yet he still wanted to deny this reality.
'This can't be….'
Defeating the god Poseid was already an achievement that would be remembered throughout history.
But now, Nanar as well… the Chief God… an existence on an entirely different level from Poseid had been sent back to the divine realm?
It made no sense.
Leor knew of the various "rules" imposed upon Elunar, rules he had learned at the cost of accepting certain restrictions.
Among them, he also knew about the "Stages."
The man before him should not have been able to surpass the Stages.
'No… could it really be?'
Perhaps this man had already transcended the Stages without his knowledge.
Or perhaps… he was an existence unbound by such things altogether.
And what about that perfectly intact appearance?
He had faced Nanar, yet not a single limb was out of place.
Strictly speaking, he did look quite exhausted, but this was nothing short of a miracle.
And Leor also understood exactly why Dre was radiating such hostility.
Dre had been wary of Leor from the very beginning. After being attacked during the Ten Great Families' tournament, it was only natural for him to suspect the organizer.
Since Nanar had intended to take Dre away, he would have revealed the identity of his collaborator if Dre had asked.
A sense of crisis washed over him.
But there was something even more urgent.
"El…"
"Hm?"
"What happened to Eli… to my daughter?"
"Ah… don't worry. She's safe."
"…Was she hurt?"
"Well, she wasn't completely unscathed, but the injuries are minor."
"Is… that so…"
Haah.
Only then did Leor let out a sigh of relief.
He slowly rose to his feet.
"Let me ask you something."
Swish. He slightly opened his eyes and stared at Dre.
His expression had become calm, unlike before, and he was even using honorifics, yet murderous intent overflowed from him.
Leor's voice trembled slightly under the killing intent that felt like it was piercing his skin.
"Won't you settle this through dialogue?"
"Go fuck yourself."
Step.
Four knights blocked Dre's path as he took a single step forward.
They were the knights known as the Six Scales of Graise, including Marien.
Aside from the knight commander controlling the outside and Krashe, every single knight commander was present.
There were other knights as well, but they had all collapsed from the aftermath of the gods' descent.
The Sword Emperor Coalition and Revelation, who had been blocking the Mind Realm Declaration, were nowhere to be seen.
In the end, only these five stood in Dre's way.
'He's exhausted.'
Marien took a deep breath, while Fred tried not to notice the cold sweat running down his cheek as he gripped his sword tighter.
'If we're going to capture him, now's the time.'
Though they didn't know exactly what their master had done, they understood that he had summoned something into the Sea God's Cave, and that the act had been aimed at Dre.
And it had failed.
The man before them had come to kill the head of the Graise family.
By common sense, the very idea of killing the head of Graise, whose influence extended beyond the kingdom to the empire and the entire world, was absurd…
'But this isn't someone bound by common sense.'
'Damn it. This bastard is more than capable of it.'
Marien and Fred, who had either fought Dre or witnessed his power firsthand, felt their bodies stiffen with tension.
They recognized their own nervousness and decided to treat it as an opportunity instead.
Now, while he was utterly exhausted, was the perfect time to eliminate any future threats.
However, the other knight commanders saw things differently.
They knew this young man was extraordinary, but they believed that even in his exhausted state, what could he possibly do? They also had no idea how reckless Dre could be.
So they tried to reason with him.
First, the elderly knight who had no prior connection with Dre spoke up.
"Listen here. I don't know exactly what happened, but this is hardly proper etiquette."
"Etiquette?"
Dre snorted.
"You threw the first punch, so etiquette can go fuck itself."
"…Your attitude is quite arrogant."
Deciding that words were useless, he raised his sword.
At the same time, a massive sphere of light created by Leor shot toward Dre like an arrow.
Boom!
In the instant the light exploded, the knight commander felt his sword blade being severed. Even his beard was cut along with it.
If Leor hadn't attacked in time… his head would have flown off.
Just as he felt a chill run down his spine, Dre spoke in an even more chilling tone.
"So you're saying you threw the first punch just now too~?"
That's right.
This was exactly how it should go.
I felt a deep sense of joy in my heart.
I had worried that the moment I appeared, Leor might drop to his knees, beg for forgiveness, and offer his own life in exchange, but of course, nothing of the sort happened.
Leor's face twisted in anguish.
The previous attack hadn't been meant to harm me, but rather to save his subordinate. Still, an attack was an attack.
There was no turning back now.
Hum.
Dozens of massive spheres of light formed around Leor.
They were larger and stronger than the ones the awakened Eli could create.
Under normal circumstances, I might have found them quite threatening.
But I was different now.
After consecutive battles against both Poseid and Nanar, these attacks looked like nothing more than pathetic tricks.
Suddenly, my eyes caught sight of Leor's finger.
The index finger of his right hand was missing.
"Did Kaits do that?"
"……"
"For a model student, he sure went overboard. Well, that's fortunate."
"What is?"
"Means I've still got nine fingers left to cut off."
"……"
Fred's rage erupted in Leor's place.
"You arrogant bastard!! You think you can beat us in that exhausted state?!"
"…Lord Yeo Deure. I truly didn't want to fight you, but you've crossed the line."
Marien added this with an angry expression.
And then there was the bearded man, whose face clearly showed he didn't want to fight.
That guy had been trying to back out last time too.
But if they came at me, I'd kill them.
These fuckers had tried to screw me over, and now they wanted to talk?
They were all going to die.
Every single one of them involved…
You just live a good life.
……
…Hoo.
Well, whatever. This was fine too.
I pointed at Leor with my finger.
The knight commanders moved to shield Leor with their bodies, thinking it might be the prelude to some attack.
"The only one I have business with is Leor."
"……"
"If you step aside, I'll let you live."
Fred ground his teeth and shouted.
"Sword of Light, Hammer of Light!"
Following Fred's lead, the knight commanders began chanting their skill names.
These were the same skills Krashe had used—techniques that greatly enhanced both body and weapon.
Though the skills were identical, each had slight differences.
For example, Fred's aura was stronger, while Marien's skill application was more powerful due to her unique technique.
The bearded man had good eyes and was watching my movements, while the nameless knight commander was gritting his teeth as his physical strength surged dramatically.
Yeah.
That was how slow everything looked to me right now.
Though I was exhausted, my senses were sharper than ever.
First, I swung my sword at the nameless knight whose body had been greatly enhanced.
Thud.
"Huh…"
Both of his arms fell to the ground as he stared blankly.
He soon let out a silent scream and threw his body backward, creating an opening for Marien and Fred to charge at me.
It was a flawless coordinated attack.
As expected of knights and their commanders, they responded calmly even to a surprise attack, which was impressive.
Not that it mattered.
Thud!
With the sound of flesh tearing, Marien and Fred tumbled across the ground.
The bearded man, who had been watching me, froze like a statue.
"Not coming?"
"…Kugh…"
The fact that he stepped back but didn't run showed that while he might not have loyalty to Graise, he at least had some sense of honor. I liked that.
Still, I wasn't going to let him off.
Thud!
Since he wouldn't come to me, I charged first.
He swung his sword, timing it based on my movement.
I dodged at the perfect moment and struck the back of his head.
He collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Whoosh!
In that moment, a sphere of light targeted me, only to scatter into sparks.
Leor didn't look surprised.
Instead, cold sweat poured down his face.
I could say with certainty that these people were strong.
Not just empty praise—if it had been the usual me, I would have struggled greatly or even lost.
But right now… yeah, it was like in a game where every single move was crystal clear, and my thinking and movements were several times sharper than usual.
I could see everything.
Even with almost no Runar left in my body and exhaustion weighing me down, my senses were sharper than ever.
This power was only granted to me now. I would use it without holding back.
Even so, it was already over.
More spheres of light gathered around Leor.
But the outcome had already been decided.
Slash.
"…Kugh…!"
Leor staggered, his chest slashed open.
At the same time, his control over Runar scattered, and the spheres of light vanished.
Yet he refused to give up and tried to create more, so I cut him again.
After repeating this about five times, he dropped to his knees and groaned.
"Why? Keep going."
"……"
"Already out of stamina, you scrawny anchovy bastard?"
"Kgh… ugh…"
What the hell was he groaning for?
It was boring that it ended so quickly… but whatever.
"Time for some real torture, Leor."
"……"
Fred and Marien stood in my way.
Even the man who had lost both arms was trying to force himself up.
"You… son of a bitch! How dare you lay hands on the head of the family…!"
"Son of a bitch? You getting pissed because you got hit?"
I was glad they were being so shameless after plotting against me.
They'd crossed the line.
"You know what, Fred?"
"What…?"
"I've hated your guts from the very beginning, you bastard."
There was no need to show mercy to those who had crossed the line.
With a clean slash, I severed his legs.
Fred reacted like a true commander and blocked with his sword, but both his sword and legs were cut off together.
He let out a single scream and rolled on the ground as I closed the distance and grabbed his hair.
Of course, the other knights tried to stop me, but I blasted them away with Space Sword before raising my fist.
Crunch!
"Kaaagh…!"
His handsome face caved in.
I left him there, twitching and deformed.
"Kugh… ugh…"
"Goodbye, Fred."
"W-wait… stop…!"
Already begging?
How boring.
Slash!!
Fred's upper body, split from shoulder to stomach, slid off and fell to the ground.
Marien, her eyes filled with disbelief, let out a scream.
"Kyaaaaah! Freddddddd!!"
"Kyaaah, huh. What a cute scream."
"You! This! Son of a bitch!!"
Oh. A massive sword of light.
She really was strong, Marien.
Clang!
An overwhelming pressure tried to crush me with Runar.
I couldn't help but be surprised by the power that rivaled Nanar's strike.
"How dare you! How dare you!! Touch Graise and still think you'll get away…"
Crunch!
Space Sword application. Spatial Fist.
Marien's nose bone collapsed under the fist that crossed space and struck her face, and one of her eyeballs popped out, dangling loosely.
"A-ah…"
She soon collapsed and couldn't get up. I deliberately stepped on her head as I passed.
Her eyeball fell off with a ridiculous sound.
The armless man couldn't get up due to lack of strength from the start, while the bearded man tightly shut his eyes.
Yeah, smart move.
I'd let that guy live.
"Now then, Leor."
"……"
"Scream like a little girl, you pretty-faced bastard."
Silence.
I could hear him thinking, but what could he possibly do?
"If you kill me, you'll become the enemy of the entire world."
A laugh escaped me.
"I've already been marked by a god, so what does it matter now? And after everything you've done? Just so you know, Meiyal from another Ten Great Family was seriously injured, and Gold lost both arms. I wonder if the other heads will just sit still."
"That much can be smoothed over…"
"Even after harming people from the same Ten Great Families, you think that's enough? Well, too bad."
I grinned and slapped Leor's cheek.
Thud, thud. A few teeth rolled across the ground. It felt great.
"What are you going to do if you die here?"
"Kaaagh!"
Suddenly, Leor lunged at me.
It was so fast that I was genuinely surprised.
Whoosh!
His claws slashed through the space where I had been standing.
…Claws?
Realizing that shooting spheres of light no longer worked, he had switched to close combat… but what was with that appearance?
His eyes were blood-red, his teeth had regrown and become sharp, and his nails were quite keen.
…He looked just like a monster.
Come to think of it, had the Graise lady escaped? I didn't see her.
Something felt off.
Now that I thought about it, I had sensed something blood-like from her before.
"Kgh… kaaagh…!"
"Hmph."
Thud.
"Hurk…!"
He was still weak.
Just some artifact-dependent piece of trash.
Leor dropped to his knees from the severe internal injury, his solar plexus caved in.
I grabbed his head and lifted it so he would look at me.
The fear in his eyes was satisfying.
"Let's take it slow then, Leor. Looks like you can regenerate too, so this should be fun…"
"Yeo Deure!!!!"
"……"
I didn't turn my head.
I could sense the presence clearly.
Krashe, gasping for breath with his arm clutched, was limping toward me.
After hesitating, unsure of what to say, he shouted.
"I-I understand how you feel! But please stop…! There's nothing good for you in touching Graise…!"
"I already knew there'd be nothing good when I started, so why would I stop now, you idiot."
"……!"
Krashe had no means of attack anyway.
The fact that he had made it this far was purely through sheer willpower.
Even so, I had no desire to kill the man who had helped me.
I'd just subdue him…
Thud!
Krashe dropped to his knees.
"Please… I'm begging you. Take my life instead and spare the head of the family… spare the head…!"
"……I'm sorry, but I can't grant that request."
You showed me what it means to be a man, Krashe.
Just pass out already.
Bang!
"Kugh…!"
I pinned him to the ground with Space Sword.
"Perfect timing, Leor. Thanks to Krashe, I won't torture you. Just die right now."
Sensing his death, Leor returned to his usual appearance and spoke urgently.
"Yeo Deure… I still have value as a tool."
"I have zero intention of working with a scheming bastard like you, you fucker."
I slowly raised my sword for all to see.
The fear of death in Leor's eyes grew deeper.
Perfect.
Watching a powerful man face such a miserable end, his eyes filled with terror he had never known before… it was always satisfying to witness.
Grin.
My heart was filled with exhilaration, and then…
I felt a presence.
"D-Dre!!"
A sharp girl's voice.
When I turned around, there stood a breathtakingly beautiful golden-haired girl, no longer in her childlike form.
So that was her true appearance.
She was an aristocratic young lady so beautiful that words couldn't describe her, as if someone had drawn my ideal type.
"Eli…! Get away from here!"
"A-Ah, Father!"
She ran toward me, sobbing.
Should I just bring the sword down?
If he died in front of his daughter, it would probably be quite despairing…
Hum.
The Graise ring in my possession vibrated as if trying to stop me. It seemed to have reacted to Eli's emotions.
Distracted by that, Eli clung to my arm.
It wasn't an attack. She just held on.
…Fuck.
You just live a good life.
It activated again.
I turned my head.
For some reason, seeing that goddess-like face crying felt good.
In that moment, I thought:
If I killed this girl and showed him her head, wouldn't Leor suffer even more?
I seriously considered it, but then remembered that Eli had desperately tried to help me.
"P-please stop… Dre…!"
She seemed to have grasped the situation, yet she still begged.
"He's my father…!"
"Eli…!"
So what if he was her father?
Leor's moved voice was also disgusting.
"…Hoo."
But… it was also true that both she and Krashe had helped me survive. I took a deep breath.
"……Haa."
I slowly lowered the sword I had raised.
Then, one by one, I peeled Eli's fingers off my arm.
"I'll stop here."
And I looked at Leor.
"You're lucky, Leor. Thanks to your daughter and your loyal knight, you get to keep your life."
"……"
"I'll spare you for now, but if you try anything again… imagine the consequences yourself. Also, I'm dropping the Pryunar matter."
Without hesitation, I turned my back.
Was I not afraid of future repercussions?
If that bastard tried to scheme again, he would learn from this incident and plot something even more perfect.
But that was fine.
If he tried anything, I could kill him without hesitation.
…Ah.
There was one thing I hadn't done.
As I walked away, I turned my head to look at Eli.
Her face was streaked with tears as she trembled.
Irritation surged within me.
Because of my pathetic sense of morality, I couldn't take revenge.
Leor was the one who had done wrong, yet I found myself directing my anger at Eli.
I had to vent this pitch-black emotion somehow.
"…Things will be awkward between us from now on."
"D-Dre…"
"So from now on, don't pretend to know me."
"……"
The color drained from Eli's face.
She had gone so pale that it was worrying as she stammered in a trembling voice.
"W-what… what do you mean?"
"I'm saying don't talk to me. You ignore me, and I'll ignore you."
Looking at Leor, watching the father worry about his daughter's pain, I felt that same exhilaration as I continued.
"D-Dre…"
"Don't talk to me. It's annoying."
"……"
There was no reason to look at Eli's stiffened expression any longer.
Without hesitation, I walked away.
[Kukukukuku.]
Mangshin's laughter echoed in my head.
Well, with that…
The long Hero's Gaze Preliminary Match Group A had finally come to an end.